East Potomac Golf Course, a more-than-100-year-old public course in Washington that is part of East Potomac Park, became the focus of a new legal fight on Friday as two golfers sued the federal government to block a Trump administration overhaul. The suit targets the U.S. Department of the Interior and says the administration’s plan would violate both a congressional law that established the park and federal environmental review requirements.
The plaintiffs said the administration’s reconstruction would run afoul of the 1897 congressional act that created East Potomac Park for the “recreation and the pleasure of the people.” They also argue the project would violate the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to consider harmful environmental impacts, a key issue they link to the way materials from other demolition work were handled.
The case is the latest in a series of court challenges aimed at President Donald Trump’s efforts to put his mark on public spaces in the nation’s capital. It follows other legal disputes described in the complaint, including preservation efforts against the demolition of the East Wing of the White House as part of plans for a ballroom.
The complaint, filed against the Department of the Interior, also says construction on the East Potomac course has already started. It alleges that in October, the National Parks Service began dumping debris from the East Wing demolition onto the golf course, raising concerns for the plaintiffs that materials could contain contaminants that could pollute the air.
The golf course has also been recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in part for its role in racially integrating in the 1940s. In the lawsuit and coverage of it, the case is framed not only as an environmental and statutory dispute but also as a fight over the stewardship of a historic public recreation site.
One plaintiff, Washington resident Dave Roberts, said, “East Potomac Golf Links is a testament to what’s possible with public land and why public spaces matter,” adding that it “deserves better than becoming a dumping ground for waste and yet another private playground for the privileged and powerful.”
The lawsuit comes after the Interior Department in December ended a lease agreement the nonprofit National Links Trust held for East Potomac and two other golf courses in Washington. The Interior Department said it terminated the lease because the nonprofit had not implemented required capital improvements and had failed to meet the terms of the lease, according to the reporting. The department’s press office also said it does not comment on pending litigation, and it added that it would “ensure these courses are safe, beautiful, open, affordable, enjoyable and accessible for people visiting the greatest capital city in the world which is in line with President Trump’s agenda.”
The White House did not respond to an emailed request for comment in the reporting. Separately, the National Links Trust said in December that it was “devastated” by the termination and defended its management of the courses, saying $8.5 million went toward capital improvements and that rounds played and revenue more than doubled during its tenure. The group said the lease termination jeopardized hundreds of local jobs, and it has agreed to continue managing the courses for the time being, but that long-term renovations would stop.
According to the complaint’s description in the reporting, the first 18 holes of the East Potomac Park Golf Course were built from 1918 to 1923. The case was filed Friday, and the Associated Press reporting said it was updated on Feb. 14, 2026, to correct the reported cost of the White House ballroom project from $400 to $400 million.